Scott Weese, DVM, shares strong evidence of cat-to-veterinarian transmission in an upcoming paper. He wasn’t surprised this could happen, but the circumstances serve as a safety warning to veterinary teams. Weese shares the cat from a SARS-CoV-2 owner home was healthy and the veterinarian collected nasal and rectal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 testing. In the process, the cat … [Read more...]
Fearful dog? Teach avoidance.
Victoria Stillwell shares ideas to help fearful dogs. She advocates to give the animal choices and proactively ensure it can avoid things that increase fearful responses. The dog who has the courage to walk away is much easier to handle than the dog who responds aggressively. Practicing avoidance promotes confidence, and repeated experience helps your dog be happier with the … [Read more...]
Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group™ marks 25 Years
Congratulations on 25 years’ efforts to protect more pets and helping to strengthen the bond between animal owners and their dogs, cats and horses. As a result of a multi-channel distribution approach consisting of direct-to-consumer, co-branded partnerships and white label brands, C&F Pet has experienced tremendous growth in the past decade. The company also has a … [Read more...]
Study shows what consumers like about social media ads
Unsupervised surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to provide insight into what they think of social media advertisements. The top social media platforms that lead to purchases directly inspired by advertisements are Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Consumers responded most to campaigns that were relatable, featured brands they liked and provided good information, and were … [Read more...]
Why we owe it to ourselves to spend quiet time alone every day
Invisibly, almost without notice, we are losing ourselves, says physicist and writer Alan Lightman, PhD. He explains the need for a societal, mental attitude that values and protects stillness, privacy, solitude, slowness and personal reflection. This time should honor the inner self and allows each of us to wander about without schedule within our own minds. Source: … [Read more...]
People are quitting over in-person work and hiring younger workers gets harder
Seldom a week passes without articles about workforce shortages, challenges and changing candidate expectations appearing in multiple sources. Business owners and hiring managers struggle to remodel how work is done to retain current talent and meet prospective candidates’ desires. It is a veritable tightrope that must be walked. We’re sharing two articles about retention … [Read more...]
Resignation: the next phase
First it was the Great Employee Resignation brought on by poor management and a tight labor market. Many organizations successfully made changes to improve their employee retention. Some did not and are now facing the possibility of the Great Customer Resignation. Source: Gallup, May 20, 2022. Link. To avoid the Great Customer Resignation, leaders need to take three … [Read more...]
Pride Month celebrates awareness, diversity, inclusion
June is Pride Month, which celebrates LGBTQ culture and achievements and honors the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a key event in LGBTQ history that laid the foundation for Pride. The global LGBTQ community and its allies incorporate festivals, parades, concerts and other events to increase awareness of inequality issues and commemorate lives lost to hate crimes and … [Read more...]
Juneteenth celebrates freedom this Sunday and all month
Juneteenth, the date marking the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and now an official holiday, is this Sunday. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1965, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and read a federal order abolishing slavery in the state. Though the Civil War ended April 9 of that year, it took Union forces until June to reach Texas with … [Read more...]
Wire fraud in a veterinary practice setting
Clint Latham, JD, shares how cybercriminals are taking advantage of wire transactions, their methods and ways to avoid becoming a victim. Source: Lucca Veterinary Data Security, June 13, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
IRS increases mileage rate for remainder of 2022
For the final six months of 2022, the standard mileage rate for business travel will be 62.5 cents per mile, up 4 cents from the rate effective January 1. The new rate becomes effective July 1, 2022. Source: IRS, June 9, 2022. Link. The IRS is adjusting the standard mileage rates to better reflect the recent increase in fuel prices." - Chuck Rettig, IRS Commissioner … [Read more...]
Vietnam first to commercially produce African swine fever vaccine
USDA's Agricultural Research Service sent an official letter to the Department of Animal Health of Vietnam confirming NAVET-ASFVAC vaccine is safe and effective. Source: National Hog Farmer, June 2, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
DVMs use goldfish to keep stock tanks clean
Marissa Hake, DVM, shares how goldfish help keep stock tanks clean. The goldfish stocking rate is one fish per 30 gallons of water. The fish do not need to be fed and can survive off chunks that fall in from cows’ mouths. Source: calfvet, Instagram, June 5, 2022. Link. Also see: Fish in the water trough, Dr Erik Johnson, Veterinarian, September 1, 2020. Link. By adding … [Read more...]
Court ruling deems horses naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious
In May 2006, Anthony Vendrella’s 2-year-old son was bitten by a horse at Glendale Farms in Milford, Connecticut. The injury required corrective surgery and left a permanent scar. Vendrella sued the farm’s owner, lost his first lawsuit and won his appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2013. The court deemed horses as “inclined to do mischief or be vicious” and found the … [Read more...]
Dental pain in cats: A prospective 6-month study
This study from in a Portuguese veterinary hospital summarizes evaluations of 64 cats that randomly presented for different dental procedures. Researchers wanted to understand feline dental disease as a pain trigger during routine examination and whether disease severity correlates to the degree of pain. This study concluded that cats with dental disease feel pain during … [Read more...]
The quality of life question ALL DVMs should be asking
Certified in hospice and palliative care, Cherie T. Buisson, DVM, CHPV, faced agonizing thoughts and questions when her own dog’s quality of life reached a decision point. Her wrestling, rationales and emotions are expressed in her blog post. The decision point came in the form of a question Buisson now uses with clients when facing end of life decisions. What will he be … [Read more...]
4 ways to have cost conversations with clients
Sponsored Content Compiled from more than 1,200 veterinary professionals, results from the 2021 AAHA Financial Care Study* shine a spotlight on opportunities for practices to improve the way they discuss costs with animal owners. The four key takeaways and the associated statements shared in this article are worth reviewing with the entire veterinary team. These statements … [Read more...]
AAHA Connexity. Early bird pricing ends tomorrow.
Complimentary Reminder Connexity is for everyone in the veterinary industry. From veterinarians to vet techs, practice managers to medical directors, find your colleagues at Connexity. Recharge your energy. Rekindle your passion. Reconnect with friends and colleagues. September 14-17, 2022. Nashville, TN. Source: AAHA NEWStat, June 7, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
PetSmart launches new veterinary service practice
Deploying an independent business ownership model, PetSmart Veterinary Services is positioned to provide a complete solution for veterinarians to open their own franchised practice. The more convenient vet hospital locations will connect pet owners with local, trusted veterinarians. To ensure the highest standard of care, every PVS hospital will be required to maintain … [Read more...]
Futile veterinary care is widespread, study finds
We’re confident some of you have seen the results of the new Cornell-led study that documents the prevalence of futile care. If not, the article from Cornell is a good place to gain some knowledge. Futile care is defined as continuing treatment when relevant goals can no longer be reached. The veterinarians’ sense of obligation to pet owners was reflected in the data, with 60 … [Read more...]
5 ways to stop overthinking and make faster decisions at work
Deliberation is an essential quality, especially when we have so many options. Yet, decision making can get stalled with overthinking. Melody Wilding shares five strategies to break the cycle of overthinking and make confident decisions in less time. Wilding focuses her strategies on a profile type she calls a sensitive striver. These are high-achieving persons who process … [Read more...]
Reducing meetings
Whether those meetings were face-to-face or virtual, every employee and leader has felt the pain of pointless, aimless, unfocused, and generally inefficient ones. Source: Forbes, May 31, 2022. Link. A meeting without a clear objective is going to be painful for all involved. And the data would suggest that the pain of unproductive meetings could seriously damage employees' … [Read more...]
Over 55, not retired after all
The pandemic created opportunities for many persons to leave the workforce as they had known it. Some took early retirement. Some quit to avoid Covid. Now they find themselves needing to make ends meet or being lured back for more flexible jobs and higher wages. The return of older workers has been concentrated among those in their late 50s and early 60s, people who were … [Read more...]
VetX International seeking input for 2022 VEER Study
VetX International recently launched a survey for veterinarians, nurses and students to assess the key drivers of career happiness, stress and mental wellbeing. More survey entries will enable deeper insight into the current landscape of veterinary medicine. Take 10 minutes to share your perspectives. Survey Link. Source: Brendan Howard, LinkedIn. June 1, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
Email remains the cornerstone of many marketing initiatives
Myriad marketing efforts influence the buying behaviors of online shoppers. Emails have the most influence, from general mailings seen as influential among 44 percent of those who are part of the post-purchase communication flow. A recent Digital Commerce 360 survey reviewed buyer preferences and responses to different types of marketing communications. Saving shoppers money … [Read more...]
Chewy behind Amazon, ahead of Walmart in automatic reorders
Forty-four percent of Chewy’s customers are enrolled in its Autoship program, which lets customers specify when they want replenishment orders. Those customers spend considerably more than others who shop on Chewy.com. Autoship customers buy $820 per year on average from Chewy versus $423 for other Chewy customers. They buy 15.5 times annually versus 10.4 times and spend $53 … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – June 2, 2022
Last week’s most read posts Why is it so hard to shut up? Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, May 26, 2022. Link. =================================== The best (legal) site for free e-books, music, and movies Source: Fast Company, May 15, 2022. Link. Hoopla acts like a library, meaning that you’re “borrowing” content for a … [Read more...]
Researchers find newborn dairy calves fed probiotics healthier in crucial first weeks
When fed a cocktail of four strains of beneficial gut bacteria, newborn calves appeared to be more protected against common disease-causing bacteria, with few falling ill. Maddison Degenshein’s research is the first to test particular bacterial strains derived directly from bovines. It builds the understanding of how probiotics could shield calves from disease until their … [Read more...]
Plants that keep mosquitoes away
Plants that keep away mosquitoes and provide food, for both wildlife and humans, are ideal for home environments. In addition to tasting great and reducing the mosquito population, they provide us with the options to offset the use of some chemicals. Among the plants listed are lavender, basil, thyme and rosemary. Source: Countryside, May 16, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
How to negotiate your salary for any job
According to Jacqueline Twillie, the whole salary negotiation process is a conversation, not a battle. The author discusses ways to negotiate the next time you’re interviewing for a new job or angling for a raise. Figure out what you need to be successful–and ask for it.” Source: Fast Company, May 20, 2022. Link. Lifestyle has no place in a salary negotiation. If you bring … [Read more...]